35-year-old John Yang of Jamestown Road in Morganton was arrested by Hickory Police early yesterday morning (March 2) on one felony count each of possession with intent to manufacture, sell or deliver a schedule II controlled substance and maintaining a vehicle, dwelling or place for a controlled substance. Yang was accused of possessing 14.30 grams of amphetamine or methamphetamine.

He was taken into custody at about 3 a.m. without incident at the Quality Suites on 13th Avenue Drive S.E. and placed in the Catawba Co. Detention Facility under a $9,000 secured bond. A first appearance in District Court was scheduled yesterday in Newton. He’ll next appear in a Catawba County courtroom on March 19.

53-year-old Jeffery Dean Kirby of Rattlesnake Lane in Lenoir was arrested yesterday (March 2) by Probation & Parole Officers in Caldwell County on one felony count of possession with intent to manufacture, sell or deliver methamphetamine and for a parole violation. Kirby was taken to the Caldwell Co. Detention Center with bond set at $100,000, secured. He was scheduled to make an appearance in District Court today in Lenoir.

The North Carolina Chapter of March of Dimes has awarded a grant of $25,000 to Catawba Valley Medical Center (CVMC) for its Maternity Services Centering Pregnancy Program for the 2015 year.

Community grants are intended to help the March of Dimes pursue its mission of improving the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. In 2013, the Foundation invested more than $4 million in active research grants in North Carolina, including some received by CVMC.

CVMC’s Centering Pregnancy program, which will be offered in English and Spanish, is a proven effective health care model that provides health assessments, education and support in a group setting, facilitated by a care provider. Since 2007, healthcare officials across the state have seen a substantial decline in prematurity rates amongst expectant mothers who participated in Centering Pregnancy programs.

Trish Hickling Beckman, Director of Maternity Services at CVMC, and Hickory Mayor Rudy Wright are serving as the 2015 Chairs for the Unifour March for Babies.

For more information on CVMC’s Centering program, contact Ms. Beckman at 828-326-3053 or at tbeckman@catawbavalleymc.org. To connect with the North Carolina Chapter of March of Dimes, visit marchofdimes.org/northcarolina.

36-year-old Joshua Alan Riffe of Highway 70 S.W. in Hickory was arrested by Hickory Police at about 9:20 Saturday night on one felony count of possession of a schedule II controlled substance and one misdemeanor count each of possession of marijuana up to half an ounce and possession of drug paraphernalia.

He was arrested when Officers on foot patrol at the Deluxe Inn on Highway 70 S.W. saw a suspicious person in a vehicle, leaning into the open window of another vehicle. That person was Joshua Riffe.

Police conducted a search of the man’s person, leading to the discovery of 1.1 grams of marijuana and 0.2 grams of methamphetamine. Nothing was found in the vehicle, though Police did find drug paraphernalia in Riffe’s hotel room.

He was taken into custody without incident and placed in the Catawba Co. Detention Facility under a $5,000 secured bond. A first appearance in District Court was set for today (March 2) in Newton.

46-year-old Karen Brittain Wood of South Center Street in Hildebran was arrested by Hickory Police shortly after noon Friday (February 27) on one felony count of larceny by servant or other employee.

She was arrested when Police responded to the Fast & Fresh store on Main Avenue N.E. where the owner said an employee took $20 from the register to buy Vicodin. The incident was confirmed by video surveillance.

Wood was taken into custody at the store without incident. She was taken to the Catawba Co. Detention Facility under a $1,500 secured bond. A first appearance in District Court was set for today (March 2) in Newton.

57-year-old Harold Drone Ikard of 7th Street in Statesville and 40-year-old Keshia Lashay Burton of 9th Avenue S.E. in Hickory have both been arrested in connection to a break-in in Statesville Saturday (February 28). Ikard was charged with misdemeanor breaking & entering, communicating threats and felony maintaining a vehicle for a controlled substance. Burton faces charges for misdemeanor breaking & entering, possession with intent to sell & deliver marijuana and possession of marijuana paraphernalia.

The arrests came about when Officers were dispatched to a civil dispute at 190 Dogwood Estates Circle in Statesville. Officers found a female and male involved in a verbal altercation outside the residence. Deputies learned that the two subjects had broken into the residence in order to try and assault the victim who was hiding inside.

Deputies were told there might be narcotics inside the vehicle that was driven by the male and female, Harold Ikard and Keshia Burton. The vehicle was searched, leading to the discovery of marijuana and $280 in cash. Deputies also searched the residence where they found that the front door and bedroom door had been broken into by Ikard and Burton.

Ikard and Burton were both arrested with first appearances in District Court scheduled for today (March 2).

A third person was charged with simple possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

28-year-old Jamar Reshon Howard of Colonial Ridge Circle in Mooresville was arrested by Iredell Co. Sheriff’s Officers on charges of possession of cocaine, possession of drug paraphernalia, assault on emergency personnel and resisting a public officer.

On February 27, Sheriff’s Officers stopped a Pontiac Sunfire driven by Howard on North Broad Street in Mooresville for a traffic violation. While speaking to Howard, the Officer noticed him gripping a clear plastic bag in his hand. When questioned about the bag, Howard reached under the seat with his other hand. At that time a physical altercation ensued between the Officer and the suspect.

Other units arrived to assist as Howard continued to resist arrest. A taser was eventually used to bring Howard under control. During the struggle, Howard dropped a bag of cocaine in the parking lot. Officers later learned that Howard had ingested another bag of cocaine during the traffic stop. While E.M.S. attempted to treat him, Howard assaulted a paramedic, spraining the female paramedic’s hand.

Howard was transported to Lake Norman Regional Medical Center for an evaluation and then taken to the Iredell County Detention Center. He was jailed under a $7,000 secured bond. District Court appearances were scheduled for March 6 and March 27.

Howard was already out on bond for damage to personal property and resisting arrest. He is a convicted felon with a prior history of drug possession.

31-year-old Derrick Lemont Neal has been arrested on four counts each of trafficking in methamphetamine by sale, possession and transport. He was also charged with sale or delivery of a schedule II controlled substance, possession with intent to sell or deliver a schedule II controlled substance, two counts of sale or delivery of a counterfeit controlled substance and two counts of possession with intent to sell or deliver a counterfeit controlled substance.

Events leading to Neal’s arrest began as Detectives received information regarding a meth trafficking ring operating out of Charlotte. The individuals involved traveled into Iredell County to sell large quantities of their product. The group is also suspected of selling the drug in surrounding states. Over a three-month period, an Undercover Detective made contact with one of the dealers and purchased quantities of meth.

Eventually, that dealer introduced the Undercover Detective to the organization’s main supplier, Derrick Lemont Neal, who frequently brought large amounts of meth to Iredell County. Neal also sold counterfeit controlled substances as methamphetamine throughout the Charlotte area in order to make a higher profit.

Neal met with the Undercover Detective on numerous occasions at locations throughout Mooresville, including grocery stores and hotel parking lots. A total of 232.5 grams (over eight ounces) of meth was purchased from Neal. The meth was a high-quality version of the product, referred to as “crystal” or “ice,” most of which is transported into North Carolina from Mexico. The meth purchased has a street value of $93,000.

On February 25, Iredell County Detectives arrested Neal, with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations and the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation. The arrest occurred as Neal met with the Detective to sell a quantity of illegal narcotics at the Hilton Garden Inn on Gateway Boulevard in Mooresville. Extreme precautions were taken to ensure that Neal would not be a danger to any citizens in the area in the event that he decided to resist or flee.

Neal was jailed in the Iredell County Detention Center under a $250,000 secured bond. His next appearance in an Iredell County courtroom was set for March 18.

Additional members of Neal’s drug trafficking organization have been identified and are being sought at this time.

63-year-old James Anthony Roberts of Silver Glen Lane in Charlotte was arrested by Hickory Police shortly before 2 a.m. today (March 2) on one felony count of possession of cocaine and misdemeanor counts of possession of drug paraphernalia and driving while license revoked. He was also charged on a misdemeanor warrant out of Lincoln County for failure to appear.

He was arrested after Police saw a vehicle hit the median on Highway 70 S.W. Police had previously received a call stating that there might be controlled substances in the vehicle.

A search of Roberts’ person turned up a pipe, while a routine records check showed the warrant from Lincoln County. When Roberts was taken to H.P.D., another search was conducted, leading to the discovery of 0.5 grams of powder cocaine in the suspect’s pocket and 0.7 grams of crack cocaine in his sock.

Roberts was placed in the Catawba Co. Detention Facility under a $23,000 secured bond. He was scheduled to make a first appearance in District Court today in Newton.

City of Morganton Water Resources workmen planned to shut off water service to a section of West Park Drive today (February 27) at about 5:15 p.m. to repair a six-inch water line break. About 18 homes will be affected and water service will be off for at least five hours. Water service will be off on West Park Drive from Walton Road to the end of West Park Drive.

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